A new day, a new label calling itself couture.
This time, the culprit is Ghanaian luxury women’s wear brand Lumiere (the french word for light) which has started promoting its Spring 16 campaign with a very interesting editorial. Ethereal Bloom, the name of the collection is actually quite literal, expressing the label’s almost effusive use of floral prints and high colour contrasts. Inspired by the ‘Lumiere woman’, a creature that isn’t afraid to embrace gracefulness and fragility, balancing it with a strength of character, Aisha Yakubu, the creative director of the brand goes on to craft quite the ideological summer gal.
While there is nothing wrong with returning to time honoured traditions that draw inspiration from the concept of spring, the imagery of flowers signifying new life and use of light, flowy fabrics to express softness and gracefulness, teetering so close to an overflogged idea like this can lead to disaster. Unfortunately Yakubu’s Lumiere Couture doesn’t manage to not cross into formulaic and repetitive.
The dresses while beautiful, have passed through a million iterations. Exaggerated flared sleeves, gypsy silhouettes, bodysuits and exaggerated coverall kimonos are trends that in the last few years, have been overworked to the point where they have almost become the exclusive preserve of up and coming tailors.
The prints the label uses are so vibrant that they can only truly be taken in small, structured doses. What we get instead are miles and miles of busy fabric that drown out the model while flattening the few design quirks the label employs and managing to assault our eyes, all at the same time. Ironically, it is the clothes that have the least references to summer and are completely devoid of floral prints that are the most winning.
There is such a thing as too much of a good thing.
PHOTO CREDITS
Model : @napari_isha
Photography : @focusghphotography
MUA : @mkeup_byme
Style Consultant : @afuarida
Creative Director : @iamberthaowusu
